Tourism Industry Update
Please follow the news reports and for latest Coronavirus advice regularly visit the Public Health Wales website and the Business Wales website
BULLETIN CONTENTS: Visit Wales Re-contact Survey 2021; UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK – comes to Wales on 30 March; Wales Coast Path 10th anniversary celebrations: How your business can get involved to make the most of promotional opportunities; Refill Cymru – Get involved to help tackle single-use plastic pollution!; Welsh Government incentives for businesses to recruit disabled apprentices increased and extended by a further year; Have Your Say on the Future Skills Agenda in South West Wales – Employer Skills Survey 2022; The National Forest for Wales; Final claims for the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme; Business Wales Green Ambition webinar series: 21 - 24 March 2022; National consultation asks public to help create a smoke-free Wales by 2030; Useful COVID-19 information
Visit Wales Re-contact Survey 2021
The Visit Wales Re-contact Survey Report 2021 has been published on the Welsh Government website, based on an online survey conducted in January with a sample of www.visitwales.com website users and UK consumer contacts.
The report includes information on those taking holidays in Wales last year and useful insights around the profile of visitors and the types of holiday trips planned for 2022. This shows there is a strong interest for taking domestic staycations this year, but a preference for avoiding crowds looks set to remain into 2022. The report also includes some useful information on visitor attitudes and expectations around sustainable travel including agreement that tourism businesses should prioritise reducing waste and single use plastic, and indications that visitors are keen to prioritise buying local food and drink.
View the report on: Visit Wales consumer re-contact survey: 19 January to 7 February 2022 | GOV.WALES.
UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK – comes to Wales on 30 March
UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK is a celebration of creativity taking place across the UK in 2022, with 10 major projects resulting from collaboration across science, technology, engineering, arts and maths. The UNBOXED programme includes free large-scale events, installations and globally accessible digital experiences.
UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK officially launched on St David’s Day with ‘About Us’ - one of ten commissioned projects delivering a series of events across the UK in 2022.
UNBOXED will come to Wales for the first time on 30 March. With the first stop being in Caernarfon, this is a spectacular, free open-air event created by 59 Productions, The Poetry Society and Stemettes exploring 13.8 billion years of history through the infinite ways in which humans are connected to the cosmos, nature, and one another.
For more information on the projects coming to Wales, including our nation’s official commissioned project entitled ‘GALWAD: A Story From Our Future’, visit unboxed2022.uk.
Wales Coast Path 10th anniversary celebrations: How your business can get involved to make the most of promotional opportunities
The Wales Coast Path already attracts thousands of visitors every year and last week (3 March), the team behind 2022’s 10th anniversary plans, ran a webinar to make sure that industry stakeholders had information and links to ensure that they could get involved in the celebrations. From news on the programme of activity to opportunities to use the 10th anniversary logo and other resources, the session made sure that all the resources available were highlighted.
The Wales Coast Path is a major part of Visit Wales’ promotion and that will continue throughout the year, with new web content, social media and high profile partnerships and press activities with National Geographic and many others.
During the webinar, our guest speakers from the Wales Coast Path and Natural Resources Wales shared news of a programme of sustainable activity that will:
- raise awareness of the benefits of the Wales Coast Path to resident and visitors
- increase usage of the Path
- continue to inspire visitors to enjoy and appreciate it
You can now view the recording, presentation and other useful resources - including a Business Toolkit and the Wales Coast Path 10th anniversary logos: Wales Coast Path 10 anniversary celebrations webinar | Business Wales (gov.wales).
 Refill Cymru – Get involved to help tackle single-use plastic pollution!
Want to know how joining the Refill Revolution will benefit your business? Watch this short film to find out: Being listed on the Refill app connects you to thousands of app users in Wales looking for free water refills.
Put your tap on the map and benefit from increased visibility, increased footfall…and show your customers you are taking action against plastic pollution!
Sign your business up as a Refill Station on the Refill app today for free and join the Refill Revolution! Together we can help tackle the problem of single-use plastic bottles pollution.
Find out more on Refill Wales | Refill | A Refill nation from the Welsh Government and learn how to get involved on: Get Involved - Refill - Join the Refill Revolution and prevent plastic.
Welsh Government incentives for businesses to recruit disabled apprentices increased and extended by a further year
Businesses recruiting full time disabled apprentices over the next year can expect to receive an additional incentive of £2,000, Economy Minister Vaughan Gething has announced.
The Welsh Government Employer Incentive Scheme for disabled apprentices, which was designed to encourage employers to get first-hand experience of the benefits of recruiting disabled people, is being extended from 1 April 2022 until the end of March 2023, and increased by £500.
Further details are available on Welsh Government incentives for businesses to recruit disabled apprentices increased and extended by a further year | GOV.WALES.
Have Your Say on the Future Skills Agenda in South West Wales – Employer Skills Survey 2022
Since the last Employment and Skills Plan for the South West Wales region was published, there has been a huge change in the way people work; the types of jobs on offer and more importantly perhaps the skills now required by industry to drive businesses forward in a post pandemic world.
Your involvement in the Employment and Skills Plan for 2022-2025 will help inform Welsh Government of the skills required and where funding needs to be allocated in order to fulfil the skills demands identified.
The Regional Learning and Skills Partnership (RLSP) is seeking your views on the Future Skills Agenda in South West Wales. Find out more and take part in the survey on: Have Your Say on the Future Skills Agenda in South West Wales – Employer Skills Survey 2022 | Business Wales (gov.wales).
The National Forest for Wales
Last December Deputy Minister Lee Waters announced that every household in Wales would be able to collect a tree for their garden or have a tree planted on their behalf.
Working with the Woodland Trust, the My Tree, Our Forest campaign was launched on 25 Feb when the first five hubs were opened.
An online interactive map has now been launched to help Welsh Government understand where people would like to see more trees planted in their communities by dropping a pin on the map. The information gathered from this will be used to see where it may be possible to plant trees and to work with landowners to see what is allowable and possible.
Get involved: You can find out more and access the map on National Forest for Wales | GOV.WALES.
Information on planting trees is available on Natural Resources Wales / Get help to plant trees and create woodland.
Final claims for the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme
The Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme will close on 17 March 2022. You have until 24 March 2022 to submit any new claims for absence periods up to 17 March 2022, or to amend claims you have already submitted.
You will no longer be able to claim back Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for your employees’ coronavirus-related absences or self-isolation that occur after 17 March 2022.
Visit the Business Wales website for more details.
Business Wales Green Ambition webinar series: 21 - 24 March 2022
Business Wales is helping businesses to improve knowledge and understanding of resource efficiency and help you to take action to mitigate your impact on climate change: If you have a Green Ambition towards a net zero carbon future, then this series is for you.
The Green Ambition series includes advice and resources for every business in Wales with specialist webinar sessions covering:
- Plastic packaging & manufacturing
- Product design & innovation
- Measuring impact & sustainability skills
- Market developments & decarbonisation
Find out more and register on Green Ambition | Business Wales (gov.wales).
National consultation asks public to help create a smoke-free Wales by 2030
The Welsh Government is calling on people across the country to join a national consultation that will shape its strategy to make Wales smoke-free by 2030.
Launched November 2021, the consultation to shape Wales’ long-term tobacco strategy is open until 31 March 2022.
With less than a month to go, the Welsh Government is calling on communities across the country to take the opportunity to join those who have already submitted their views on creating a smoke-free future for Wales.
The Welsh Government is seeking to make living smoke-free the norm in Wales. Supporting that goal has already been seen when Wales became the first UK nation to introduce smoke-free playgrounds, school grounds and hospital grounds.
More recently, on 1 March 2022, smoking in bedrooms in hotels and guest houses has been banned as well as smoke-free requirements introduced in self-contained holiday accommodation such as cottages and caravans.
To have your say on how Wales should create a smoke-free society visit: Tobacco control strategy for Wales and delivery plan | GOV.WALES.
Read the announcement in full on National consultation asks public to help create a smoke-free Wales by 2030.
Useful COVID-19 information
As each premises is different, businesses should read all guidance. This continues to be updated so please check back regularly for the latest information.
Stay up to date with tourism industry news
Take a look at our latest Visit Wales industry newsletters and bulletins: Tourism Newsletter/Bulletin | Business Wales (gov.wales)
These include the latest tourism industry news from Wales and information for the industry on Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Business Wales is providing businesses with tailored support and advice about dealing with coronavirus, from financial and supply chain planning to advice on staffing issues. We would advise Tourism businesses and stakeholders in Wales wanting specific guidance to visit the Business Wales website or call Business Wales helpline on 03000 6 03000, and to regularly visit the Public Health Wales website for up-to-date public health information for you, your staff and your visitors.
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